It was one of those conversations that sometimes happen when one person starts thinking about what might happen to the things they love after they're gone.
Jay Fullmer was driving back from a tournament with Nick Butterfield, the man who’d come to help him most in running the Fullmer Brothers Boxing Gym.
“It was almost like he knew something was going to happen,” said Jay Fullmer’s son, Chet, who also helps coach at the South Jordan gym. “He kind of laid out what he wanted, that Nick should keep running it, that he wanted to keep it free, and that he wanted to keep it going.”
The Fullmer brothers — World Champion Gene and his two younger brothers, Don and Jay — started the gym because they knew the value of the sport in a young person’s life. Jay made his intentions known just a couple of months before his death on April 22, while Gene Fullmer passed away the day of Jay's funeral, five days later. Their families have vowed not only to keep the gym open, but to keep it free of charge for the young athletes.
“It’s Marv Jenson’s influence,” Chet said. “It was to give back to the community, to give back to the sport and to help kids out.”
Jenson’s gym became the place the Fullmer brothers would train throughout their storied careers. And when they were done, they would honor their former coach by doing what he did for Utah’s young people — open a free boxing gym.
“It’s never been for profit,” Chet Fullmer said. “They never thought once of making money on it.”
They’ve relied on donations and the dedication of generations of Fullmers to keep the gym open and operating at no cost to the kids who come there to learn a lot more than the secrets of the Sweet Science. They host an annual golf tournament, The Fullmer Brothers Fighting for Youth Golf Classic, which this year will be held on June 5 at River Oaks Golf Course.
The tournament benefits not only the gym, but also the Utah Golden Gloves Chapter, including a newly established scholarship fund.
Last year the Golden Gloves board voted to give a yearly scholarship to a local boxer. The inaugural award went to Highland High’s Gabriel Chariez, who won both state and regional titles this spring, before losing in the quarterfinals of the national tournament in May.
Larry Fullmer said the scholarship is something the board has wanted to do for a long time.
Chairez, who will graduate from high school this Friday, said he applied for it to help him pay for the classes he will begin studying this fall at Salt Lake Community College.
“It’s going to help a lot,” Chairez said. “The scholarship is huge.”
Chairez, who has an older brother who boxes and attends college, said it will make it possible for him to both pursue an education and his dream of professional boxing. He said the scholarship will help a lot of boxers in the future as it is so difficult to pursue the sport and a traditional education.
“When you box, you don’t have a lot of time to do other things,” Chairez said. “You don’t have time to do a lot of those other things. The scholarship is a big, big help.”
The golf tournament will feature a couple of other sports icons in former Utah and Weber State head football coach Ron McBride and legendary BYU coach Lavell Edwards.
There are a few foursomes left for the tournament, which tees off at 8 a.m. Contact Chet Fullmer (801-580-3154) or Larry Fullmer (801-201-6723) if you’re interested in golfing or donating to the auction.
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